11 Essentials For Your First Aid Kit

Injuries and accidents are always unannounced. Whether it is at home or at the garden, on the road or at your workplace. Such medical emergencies can be handled only with adequate preparation. Keeping a first-aid kit handy helps you respond quickly and effectively.

Here are 11 essential things your first aid supplies should contain. So, someone in need might get a quick temporary help. It is a life saving kit at times.

1. Gauze and Plasters:

On minor open wounds or burns, you need to apply minor pressure to stop the bleeding. Wound dressing is done through sterile dressing gauze.

Sterile pads are used on large wounds to apply more pressure on the wound to stop the blood immediately. It is easy and quick to use.

Plasters are used for small cuts. A fabric plaster strip can help you with any size or shape of wound. You need to cut the plaster to size and cover your wound with it.

2. Wound Cleanser:

A wound should be cleaned thoroughly before applying any kind of covering to it. Antiseptic helps kill the microorganisms that grow on the wound. You need to make sure it is cleaned properly with a wound cleanser spray. In minor cases, water and soap does the same work, but it is not an ideal solution for all situations.

3. Bandages:

After cleaning your wound, you need to cover it. So that no organisms grow on it, and it helps you heal faster protecting your open wound from friction, bacteria and dirt.

4. Scissors:

A scissor is used as a cutting tool. It helps you cut bandages to the size of the wounds. Also, used for cutting a piece of clothing of a wounded person to expose its wounds. It is an essential element of the first-aid kit.

5. Tape:

Tape is used as a staple for wound care. It helps apply that minor extra pressure that is needed to stop the bleeding on the fresh wounds. It is also used on the edges of other dressing so that its edges are protected and stick to the skin.

6. Medicines:

Some basic medications should be there in the first-aid kit. Painkillers like aspirin (not to be given to children under 16), ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc. Other medicines should include antibiotic ointment, calamine lotion, insect repellent, burn gel are among the basics ones.

7. Reusable Hot and Cold Packs:

The most helpful and relieving thing that should be included in the first aid kit are the reusable hot and cold packs. Cold packs come handy for sprains, strains and muscle aches. Both the cold as well as the hot pack is kept in the freezer. When you need to use the hot pack, you need to heat it in the microwave. Cold packs are instantly ready to use. So, you can include the cold pack for the travelling first-aid kit as well.

8. First-Aid Manual:

The most essential thing that every first-aid kit should have is a manual. It provides a guide for basic first-aid. A first-aid box is not only used by medical people but can be used by anyone. For non-medical people, a manual serves as a handbook to guide them in the process.

9. Hand Sanitizer:

Hand sanitizers are mandatory in any first-aid kit. It is because you need to be hygienic. You need to clean your hands properly after dressing the wound. You may not find a handwash everywhere. So, in such scenarios a hand sanitizer comes handy. It is not a replacement of handwash, but it is a good temporary and hygienic solution. After using the hand sanitizer, you should use a handwash as soon as you find one.

10. CPR Mask:

CPR masks are used in the resuscitation process for the patient who has difficulty in breathing. It is designed to prevent the pathogens during mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. A face shield is a more portable option, whereas a mask being larger in size creates a tight seal on a patient's nose and mouth to help them with the breathing process.

11. Eye Wash:

This helps when a person is having eye itching, irritation, discomfort or stinging issues with the eye. Eye wash helps flush out the irritants like dust, pollen, smoke, chlorine and washes your eye making it clean.

Conclusion:

First aid supplies are a necessity. You need to have it wherever you go. From your workplace to the travelling car. These are essential things your first-aid box should have. Also, you need to have cotton rolls to help you clean the wound. Last but not the least, a manual is the most important thing that should be placed at the top of the first-aid box so that even non-medical people can use it effectively.

Paul Clifford is the Owner & CEO of Medguard. He aims to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure of the country by supplying medical devices and consumable products of top-notch quality.